Pipe-wrench.



W. M. POTTER.

PIPE WRENCH.

API'LIGATION FILED JULY 19. 1909.

' Patented June 7, 1910.

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WASHINGTON M. POTTER, OF FREEDOM, PENNSYLVANIA.

PIPE-WRENCH.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, VASHINGTON M. Por- 'rER, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Freedom, in the county of Beaver andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Pipe-Vren'ches, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to pipe wrenches, and the object of my inventionis to provide a wrench with positive and reliable means for gripping apipe or cylindrical surface without the wrench slipping when the pipe isrotated.

My invention aims to provide a simple and inexpensive wrench consistingof comparatively few parts easily and quickly assembled and maintainedin an operative condition. -In designing the wrench I have aimed toobviat-e the necessity of using screws or nuts for adjusting the movablejaw thereof, and to furnish means that will permit of the movable awbeing quickly adjusted to positively grip a lpipe in conjunction withthe fixed aw of the wrench.

My invention will be hereinafter considered in detail and then claimed,and reference will now be had to the drawing forming a part of thisspecification, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the wrench, Fig. 2 is a similar View ofthe same, partly broken away and partly in sect-ion, Fig. 3 is ahorizontal sectional view taken on the line X-X of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 isa detached detail perspective view of the pawl employed in the wrench.

To put my invention into practice, I provide a handle or lever enlargedat its outer end to form a head 2, the outer face of which is serrated,the head and serrated face thereof constituting a fixed gripping aw 3.The head 2 is provided with a longitudinal recess 4, into which extendsthe toothed end 5 of a resilient pawl 6, the inner end of which isseated in a recess 7 provided therefor in the handle bar or lever 1, andfirmly secured in any suitable manner, as by a screw 8. The resilientpawl 6 is provided near its free end, with a laterally-extending lug 9,constituting a finger piece by means of which the pawl can be pressedtoward the handle bar 1.

Pivotally-secured to the head 2 is a yoke 10 having a swinging movementon its pivot Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 1 9, 1909.

Patented J une 7, 1910. Serial No. 508,478.

pin 11 to engage the yoke with and disengage it from a shank extendingtherethrough. An enlargement 12 carried by the outer end of the yoke isprovided on its inner face with gripping teeth 13, and extending throughthe yoke is a toothed shank 14, terminating at its outer end in a curvedserrated gripping jaw 15 which confronts the iixed jaw 3 and coperateswith the latter in the use of the wrench. The shank 14 is provided onits rear edge with teeth 16 extending the entire width of the shank andwhich are engaged with the teeth 13 of the yoke 10. On its inner facethe shank 14 is provided with teeth 17 extending only partially thetransverse width of the shank, and which are engaged by the tooth at thefree end of the pawl 6. The teeth 16 and 17 are placed reversely withrespect to each other, whereby when the shank is engaged both by theteeth of the yoke and the tooth of the pawl, the shank is held againstmovement in either direction. It is preferable to graduate the shank 14upon one side as shown at 18, so as to facilitate the positioning of thejaw 15 with respect to the jaw 3, when the operator is using the wrenchon a pipe of known diameter.

To adjust the jaw 15 with relation to the jaw 3, the operator places afinger on the lug 9, so as to press the free end of the resilient pawl 6toward the handle bar 1, withdrawing it from its engagement with theteeth 17 of the shank 14, after which the yoke 10 can be swung on itspivot pin 11 to a position substantially at right angles to the handlebar 1 so that the teeth 13 of said yoke are disengaged from the teeth 16of the shank, and the latter is then free to be moved in eitherdirection so as to carry the jaw 15 toward or away from the jaw 3,according to the direction in which the shank is moved.

Vhen pressure upon the lug 9 is relieved, Y

the toothed free end iof the pawl springs into engagement with the teeth17, and teeth 13 and 16 are again engaged, holding the shank 14 and themovable jaw 15 in the position in which they have been placed by theadjustment.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of myimprovement, it will be understood that various slight changes may bemade in the details of construction thereof without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new, is

l. A wrench of the type described, com prising a handle bar providedwith a fixed gripping aw, a resilient toothed pawl oarried by saidhandle bar7 a yoke pivotally supported by said handle bar and having theouter end thereof provided with gripping teeth, a shank movably mountedin said yoke and adapted to be engaged by the teeth of said yoke and bysaid toothed pawl, and a jaw carried by said shank for confronting thefixed jaw of said handle bar.

2. A wrench of the type described, comprising a handle bar, a fixedserrated jaw carried by said bar, a resilient toothed pawl secured tosaid handle bar, a lug carried by the side of said pawl and adapted tofacilitate the movement of said member, a yoke pivotally supported bythe outer end of said l handle bar, said yoke having the outer endthereof provided with an enlargement having gripping teeth, a shankmovably mounted in said yoke and having one edge thereof provided withteeth corresponding in width to said shank and adapted to be engaged bythe teeth of said yoke, and the opposite edge thereof provided withteeth of a less width than said shank and adapted to be engaged by saidtoothed pawl, and a curved serrated gripping jaw carried by the outerend of said shank and adapted to confront the fixed jaw of said handlebar.

In testimony whereof I afIiX my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

VASHINGTON M. POTTER.

W'itnesses H. H. SWANEY, HARRY CALHOUN.

